Immigration and customs
From 2 April 2025, before travelling on short-term trips to the UK, all Italian and EU citizens, minors included, must obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation)
Applications can only be submitted online via the UK ETA app or the UK Government website.
ETA is an electronic authorisation gradually introduced by the UK Government as a travel requirement. This is not a visa, as it is a prior authorisation to travel to the United Kingdom, required to non-UK resident foreigners WHO ARE exempted from the visa requirement for short stays of up to six months.
Foreign citizens residing in the UK with a valid residence permit are exempt from the ETA requirement, including holders of pre-settled status or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and British and Irish citizens.
The ETA allows multiple trips to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time, for a period of two years or until the holder's passport expires, whichever comes first. It is mandatory to travel with the same passport used when applying for the ETA. Applications can only be submitted online via the UK ETA app or the UK Government website.
Schengen Area
In 1985, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands signed the Schengen Agreements, creating an area without internal border controls. The name comes from the Luxembourgish town of Schengen, where the first agreements were signed.
This cooperation gradually expanded to include other European states. With the Amsterdam Treaty (1997), the Schengen Agreement was incorporated into the legal framework of the European Union.
Today, the Schengen Area consists of 29 European countries, including both EU member states and non-EU countries:
EU countries in the Schengen Area:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Non-EU countries in the Schengen Area:
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.
De facto, the Schengen Area also includes four European micro-states – Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican City – that maintain open or semi-open borders with the other Schengen member countries.
Non-Schengen nationals: Citizens from all other non-Schengen countries. To enter, stay, or transit through the Schengen Area, non-Schengen nationals must hold a passport or another valid travel document recognized for border crossings by all Schengen states.
Customs and duties - VAT REFUND
The VAT refund request can be submitted to the offices of the Customs Office located in the Departures area of Terminal 1, Terminal 3, in the Boarding Area E and in Boarding Area A or to the VAT Refund providers offices. We remind you that the VAT refund for products transported inside the hold baggage must be requested before the check-in operations.
For invoices issued in Italy by Global Blue, Planet and Tax Refund operators, it is necessary to contact the corresponding offices located at the Departures of Terminal 3 near the check-in counters 196-225, at the Departures of Terminal 1 near the check-in counters 111-140 and in the Boarding area E, near the ADR Info Point. In any other case it is necessary to contact the Customs Office or/and to fulfil the procedure through the self service kiosks and dedicated Mailboxes.
Travellers from outside the EU are reminded that from 1 September 2018 electronic invoicing will be mandatory for supplies of goods.